Various strategies have been developed to improve automotive fuel efficiency. For example, developing automotive parts from lightweight materials has been implemented to reduce weight of vehicles. A plasma transferred wire arc (PTWA) coating on engine parts has been utilized to meet the ever-increasing fuel efficiency goals. For example, a PTWA coating on aluminum alloy cylinder bores has proven to offer several advantages besides weight reduction. For example, the PTWA coating on cylinder bores reduces weight, cost, and bore spacing when compared to an aluminum engine block with thick iron cylinder liners. In addition, the PTWA process has been used to provide a coating on other automotive parts. Yet, the PTWA process faces several challenges.